Then there's this sweetheart of a chef! I'm Mexican American and love this guy!

[en.m.wikipedia.org]

Celebrating any culture is a way of preserving it. In today's world where international borders are freely crossed and migration is easier than it has ever been, the dilution of ethic identity is ever increasing. My father was a Cajun, one of the smallest ethnic groups in the US less than 1 million. I am 50% Cajun, I married a Woman of Austrian-German descent, my son is 25% Cajun, looks German and knows little of his Cajun heritage (my fault). He married a Taiwanees woman their daughter is 12.5% Cajun, looks Chinese. What culture may my granddaughter celebrate without the culture police doxxing her? Is hosting Mardi Gras off limits? Cajun cooking? Hosting Octoberfest? wearing lederhossen? Since she is legitimately part of those cultures by birth but not by appearance, who has the right to say she should not be able to own that as her own? Who has the right to tell anyone that they don't have the right to celebrate any culture in a way that helps to preserve it for the future?

Culture was already there well before you were born. You are far too late to own it.

With sports teams adopting native themes we have seen a huge backlash. The Washington Commanders used to be called the “Redskins” until relatively recently. The Cleveland Guardians used to be called the “Indians”. The Atlanta Braves and Kansas City Chiefs have stuck so far with their names and iconography. They also use a warchant and tomahawk chop ironically appropriated from another Native American themed sports team, the FSU Seminoles. The warchant and tomahawk chop seem inappropriate and jarring now yet there are aspects of how FSU as an institution has approached its use of tribal oriented themes that for the moment have given them a pass. They have buy in from the Florida based Seminole tribe who help with aspects of design to make things more authentic and respectful. The Oklahoma Seminole tribe hasn’t always been as on board. Not sure how real the apparent consensus actually is.

I am not sure what the situation is with the Utah Utes. Maybe there’s a similar set up.

Your last question is quite disturbing to me..."punished" for whirling like a Dervish,
Enjoying Thanksgiving dinner with friends even though a Sikh? Or maybe pissing on the communion wafers....there are and always will be countless ways of "transgressing", or pushing the boundaries, or yes, givin' it a whirl!
Why assume punishment needs to be set up ready to go, like, oh, I dunno, some Old Testament gawd......

I think that is a pretty good summing of the situation. It may also be worth noting that different people within the culture appropriated may have different, often quite opposite views of it. Some may see it as theft of culture, while others may see it as imitation because we are admired and respected and have something to give the wider world, with every shade between those two probably existing as well.

If you want absolute answers to your questions you will be disappointed. Its like asking when is theft morally acceptable or when is physically harming another person acceptable? There's no giant line in the sand that delineates an absolute between acceptable and unacceptable.

I think the overwhelming majority of people would agree that blackface is inappropriate. I doubt very many people who have an issue with someone wearing a kimono.

I think intent plays a large part in determining whether cultural appropriation is acceptable or not. If the intent is to mock, belittle, or otherwise insult a particular group then it is wrong. If it has been historically used as a means to mock, belittle or insult a group then it is wrong. When the purpose is to appreciate the culture then in most cases its probably acceptable. The gray area is when you don't know enough about a culture to understand whether or not something is inappropriate or not.

The very notion of "cultural appropriation" is an absurdity.